Bed bugs - best professional treatment - heat or chemical spray? Help!

[Tarantular]

Well, I've come back from holiday two weeks ago (stayed in a few hostels) and my arms are now being bitten every night in small 2-4 clusters and lines. I strongly suspect bed bugs . I would be SO GRATEFUL for any advice re. making a professional choice, its hard to know what to do.

Apparently there are two main professional methods - heat and insecticide spray.

Has anyone experience of these and did the professional treatment work for you? Did you just have the heat treatment alone - more expensive - about £900 for my 2 bedroom flat? Or did you go down the chemical route - about £200-£300 for one visit? Did you have to do more than one chemical treatment? (My local council no longer helps with this issue so I have to figure it out and treat it myself). What worked for you? Or didn't?

I know I haven't seen any actual bed bugs, blood spatter or feaces as yet that I recognise - but I need to have some kind of forward plan in mind to stay calm ... I don't have any sensible adults to confide in and am just trying to figure it all out on my own.

• they're definitely not flea bites (as none on my legs and the rest of my body) and I would surely hear mosquitos! Plus only mini-clusters, lines - not single bites.

I've read a bit more, even more than I have already! Perhaps the insecticide route might be best as a first attack. Only heat if that fails ....

So sorry to hear this! I’m still traumatised by an infestation 20 years ago.

I think the consensus is that the chemicals don’t work effectively. Either pay for a professional heat treatment or do a combo of home heat treatment (steaming and tumble drying what you can) and diatomaceous Earth.

This video on YouTube is helpful.

It can be (to use a modern phase!) a bit triggering. If you skip ahead to 2/3rds in you get the treatment plan.

Phrase not phase

Are you getting fresh bites every night? Have you definitely brought them back with you? We got really badly bitten during a night in Paris a few years ago. DP and I had bites over every bit of skin that was in contact with the bed (so mine were pyjama top shape, DPs were all over his back.)

Obviously we were worried about having brought them home, but loads and loads of intensive searching of our bed went on and none were found.

We were literally covered in bites, more of which came through after a couple of days (my skin was completely bite texture rather than skin texture, it was horrible!)

Unless you kept your bag on your bed and you brought them home in that, you may not have brought them home at all.

Steam cleaner and diatomaceous earth. Got rid of mine in two treatments but I left the earth in the seams of the mattress indefinitely.

Thank you all.

Poor you, your experience in Paris sounds horrendous @Janek. I didn't get bitten when away, only about a week after return. Although, just to confuse things a relative moved in temporarily around the same time. I don't know for sure if its bed bugs. I haven't got them on my back.

Thanks @Gunpowder I have heard diatomaceous Earth is very good so I plan to get that. Also, a mattress encasement and put some inside, as well as around the feet of my bed.

@LunchAtTeatime - did that work? Did you use a handheld steamer? Did you use use it on mattress or other places as well? What were the "two treatments"? Thank you in advance.

If it is bed bugs I will have to throw away duvet (wool, only had it 6 months, can't be cleaned at 60 degrees, so it will be a cheap one from Argos or M&S now). I actually bought a dryer yesterday, as I can't face going back and forth to the launderette if it proves to be those bugs. But I should probably have bought one years ago. Anyway, that was another 4 hours internet research. I guess you just have to keep going.

PS. I do want to wait for more "evidence" before I spend too much money. But I just need to have a plan in place!

And I have a clean and tidy but small flat - so the thought of packing things and cleaning so many things - its just ugh. Plus I have health issues so its extra hard work for me.

I should be out enjoying the May sunshine ...

Is there ever any let up?! [sorry, general moan]

@Gunpowder I'm going to watch the video now.

The first half of the video was squeamish, but the second half on measures to take was really helpful.

Steam cleaner, sellotape and persistence put paid to our infestation. We used sellotape to remove bugs and eggs from the back of the headboard where they were hiding, and from the carpet when they tried to run (they are FAST), then steam cleaned the whole area, moving the bed away from the wall, every day for a week, then every week for about 6 weeks, then checked again 2 weeks later and there was no sign of them…
DH worked in coaches, and that’s how they dealt with any infestations (they found the infestations using specially trained dogs).
Cost us next to nothing and haven’t seen any in the 3 years since…

Handheld steamer would work yes, but with a wide attachment on it. You can Google the method at this is what I did.

-Wash everything that can fit in the washing machine.
-Steam anything that can't fit.
-Steam mattress on all sides thoroughly.
-We had odd books under the bed which I put in the freezer for 48 hours.
-Steam carpets and skirting boards.
-Sprinkle diatomaceous earth over the carpets around the bed. And along the bottom of doorways. And in the corner of the top few stairs.
-Ideally you want to leave it for a couple of nights but you can leave it overnight then hoover up the main walk area if it's too messy for you.
-If you have a divan bed this might be harder, ours just had 5 wooden legs, use upturned jar lids with diatomaceous earth in and put them under the legs of the bed so there is a sort of moat that they have to cross before climbing up.

• finally work some earth into the seams of the mattress. They're like the highways for bedbugs.

Lastly, if you have a filter hoover, rather than a bag, you will need to thoroughly wash it out after hoovering up diatomaceous earth. The stuff gets everywhere. Oh and don't breath it in! It's not toxic, just very irritating on lungs.

Thanks @LunchAtTeatime .

I have a plan at least now after considering what people have said and the video. So helpful. My brain was like scrambled egg this morning.

I'm starting with the DIY approach as maybe small infestation of whatever it is.

If things don't work out, then I'll have to think of a different approach.

P.S. @Gunpowder although most people say heat treatment is more effective, I did read an article that disagreed. The newer insecticides can be better apparently - but of course I don't know which ones the pest controllers would use. There can also be issues with things melting apparently in the "heat" approach.

You should check your mattress - lift up the fitted sheets and check along the seam of the mattress. If you have bed bugs, you will see them there.